'We can't make a Save the Children advert sexy, but it deserves your attention': Models lose their cool as they're told to seductively talk about death tolls and disease

A thought-provoking new Save The Children commercial makes the point that while child poverty isn't sexy, it's still an issue that warrants attention.

The advert sees New York-based models turn up on set expecting to be filmed for a 'very sexy brand'. After getting their make-up done they happily read off cue cards which feature vacuous taglines including 'what are your deepest desires?' and 'lust is my mistress'.

However, these are then swapped for more serious 'unsexy' statements highlighting the plight of families around the world. The models quickly lose their seductive edge, with some unable to complete sentences as the cameras continue to roll.

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Lost for words: A new Save The Children advert sees fashion models attempt to make shocking statements sexy - they thought they were being hired for a 'very sexy brand' and were left speechless when they were told to talk about death tolls

One confused woman asks the director, 'you want me to say that sexy?' when she is confronted with a board reading: 'Almost 800 mothers and 18,000 young children die each day, mostly from preventable causes.'

Another female model merely states: 'This is not a sexy statement. I feel bad.'

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And a chiseled man, who tries his best to continue, complains: 'It's just hard to make some of these words sound sexy.'

After managing to read that 'there are 2.2 billion children in the world, 40per cent of them are living in armed countries with armed conflict,' one male model, clearly distressed by what he's just said out loud, asks if he can go out for a walk.

Shocking statistics: This is just one of the phrases the models were asked to read aloud in a seductive way

Much easier! When this model was asked to read the word 'lust' she oozed sex appeal

A woman also seems flustered by the hard-hitting facts, as she sits in the studio fanning herself.

There is only one model who manages to maintain her sexiness.

Looking directly into the camera the
light-haired woman rolls off ailments including 'diarrhea' and
'pneumonia' while provocatively twirling her hair.

Sombre: The models' smiles soon dissipated as they were instructed to read a number of distressing facts

'It's just hard to make some of these words sound sexy,' this man said

At the end of the advert the models were told they were actually filming an ad for Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.

They then admit to viewers that 'we can't make this issue sexy but it deserves your attention.'

The commercial was uploaded to YouTube yesterday under the title 'The Most Important "Sexy" Model Video Ever' in time for Mother's Day in the U.S. on May 15.

It also coincides with Save The Children's 15th annual issue of State of the World's Mothers (#SOWM) report, which among other things identifies the best and worst places in the world to be a mother.

The face says it all: This woman said she 'felt bad' about trying to make a serious matter sexy

This year, Finland ranked first place
for 'safety' while Somalia was ranked the most ‘dangerous’ due to
natural disaster as well as persistent conflict.

Talking about the inspiration behind the non-profit's new advert, Save The Children president Carolyn Miles said: 'We set out to create a video that will not only grab people's attention, but also get them to act.

'We know that talking about mothers and babies struggling to survive during war and disaster isn't sexy. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing something about it.'

The advert has been watched more than 100,000 times online so far, with many viewers applauding its creativity.